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Motul Powersport Ambassador Stuart Gregory is about to achieve a lifetime ambition by competing in the Dakar Rally. The 2019 edition of the world’s most iconic rally event will take place entirely within the South American country of Peru, and Stuart has spent the last few days making his last-minute preparations and soaking up the pre-event vibe in the Peruvian capital city, Lima.

As if to prepare Stuart for the rigours of the Dakar Rally, he has had to deal with the temporary loss of his kit bag which contained his helmets and all of his protective gear. Meanwhile, fellow SA Dakar competitor Kenny Gilbert has only just been reunited with one of his pieces of luggage (which included Stuart’s sticker kit). However, Stuart now has everything he needs, including a trunk of high-performance Motul products - some of which he has already added to his KTM 450 Rally Replica motorcycle.

Stuart is participating in The Originals by Motul Class – that is, without the support of a team. In other words, he must make all his own mechanical adjustments and running repairs at the end of each long day in the saddle. His supply of Motul products could therefore make all the difference when it comes to achieving his goal of crossing the finish line in Lima on January 17th.

Stuart is no stranger to challenges – he most recently competed in the Silver Class in the Motul Roof of Africa in December 2018 – and he describes his class in the Dakar Rally 2019 as the hardest and most original way to tackle the Dakar.

Yesterday saw the ceremonial podium start take place in front of thousands of Dakar mad Peruvian supporters and today Stage 1 (Lima – Pisco) will feature 250 km’s of liaison and 84 km’s of racing. Stuart will face some 3 000km of demanding terrain over 10 stages, with more than 70% of the route being over Peru’s challenging sand dunes. With this in mind, Stuart has been picking the brains of everyone he’s met, including roommate Marcel Snijders, a 12-time Dakar competitor.

Stuart was delighted to meet his hero, Toby Price, at the pre-race briefing - just one of the big names competing in the Dakar Rally 2019. This year’s edition of the Dakar will also feature previous winners Matthias Walkner and Sam Sunderland as well as strong challengers Adrien van Beveren and Joan Barreda Bort. Several Dakar legends will be driving in the car class, including Carlos Sainz, Sebastien Loeb, Stéphane Peterhansel, and South African Giniel de Villiers.

“My journey so far has been a real rollercoaster of emotions,” commented Stuart, speaking from his hotel in Lima. “Not many people get to compete in the Dakar, and now I just want to get on my bike and get going,” he added.

With the first motorcycles heading out at 4am local time today (11am SA time), Stuart’s long wait is over and the challenge of what promises to be another tough Dakar is upon him. To find out more about Stuart’s journey go to: https://powersport.motul.com/

ABOUT MOTUL

Motul is a world-class French company specialised in the formulation, production and distribution of high-tech engine and industrial lubricants. Motul is also recognised as the specialist in synthetic lubricants. As early as 1971, Motul was the first lubricant manufacturer to pioneer the formulation of a 100% synthetic lubricant for automotive engines, the Motul 300V lubricant, which made use of ester technology derived from the aerospace industry.

Throughout the years, Motul has gained experience as an official supplier to many racing teams and manufacturers and continues to collaborate with them to further technological development in motorsports.